The Romulan War Stories: 7 - The Battle of Cheron
by BonesBird
Summary: The Romulan War builds to a climax, and Jon, Erika, Shran and the others must prepare for the worst even while they hope for the best.
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is my latest in this series, and it's the penultimate story. Only one more after this one, and that wraps everything up. I hope you are still enjoying this series. Shin XX**

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_**August**** 23rd 2159**_

Enterprise was abuzz with the sound of busy crewmen, and that kept Jon happy. He knew that the repairs his ship had needed were nothing in comparison to some, but he also knew that this trip back to Earth had been harder on everyone than had been expected, and surprisingly nobody had wanted to leave their ships, not yet. He looked down to Erika, who was nervously smoothing her uniform. That was one of the habits that he had fallen in love with when they'd first met, and he was glad to see she still did it. After a few minutes it seemed that she could feel his eyes studying her, and looked up to him with a question. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"It's about time isn't it?" He asked, his smile returning as he thought of the news they had to share with their friends, though the lack of people invited to this event had reminded him how many of their staffs had moved on, both literally and figuratively, since the beginning of the war. He knew that she wanted to share this news as much as he did, but he could still see the echoes of the depression she'd spiraled into, but he hoped they managed to deal with it, or begin dealing with it. On their news, he hoped that telling their friends, their colleagues, would prove to her that he was serious about it as he ever had been.

"It's only been 4 days."

He stopped and put his hands on her shoulders. "It's been a lot longer than that." He muttered, and felt his smile growing again. "Our friends will be happy for us."

"Will the rest of Starfleet?" She muttered, and he lifted her chin so she met his eyes. He knew now that she was mostly being ornery, because she new it would annoy him. He was determined not to let her put a down spin on this.

"Always so negative."

"Sorry." She all but whispered, he took a quick look around them before sneaking a quick kiss, tapping her nose as he did.

"You're taking the meds Johanna recommended?"

"Yes, but they take a while to kick up. Don't worry Jon." She almost sighed, and he realised he was maybe being a little too protective of her, he couldn't seem to help it though. Had he always been this annoyingly protective of her? Actually, he didn't want to know the answer to that.

"I always worry about you, you know that." He grinned, and then had to admit that he was surprised that she had agreed to speak to Johanna as easily as she had, even after a few days he was surprised about that. "I'm just glad you were so easy to convince to do what I wanted you to do." He muttered, and tried not to laugh at her glare.

"You know that I will always do what you ask. Within reason." He was about to ask where the line was, but then realised that that conversation was probably best for privacy, rather than the corridor outside of his private dining room.

"Are you ready?" He asked instead, slipping his hand into hers and giving it a squeeze.

"Lets get this over with." She nodded and they turned into the room, and he was glad they had taken a minute outside, he was fairly sure he didn't want to hear the story that had everyone laughing quite as loudly as they were.

"You should have heard the time she almost-"

"Captain, Commodore." Travis almost jumped, being the first to notice them after they'd come in. Everyone turned, and rather than field the questions right away, Jon waved them into the seats around the table before taking a position at the top of the table, reaching out and tugging Erika next to him from where she'd been filling her pockets with chopsticks, he wasn't going to ask why she'd done that right now, but he was sure he'd know before long.

"Sit down, all of you."

"What's going on Captain?" Kiona was the first to ask, before either of them had had chance to say anything, looking directly at Erika.

"Have we gotten new orders?" Malcolm asked next, looking to Jon, and just as he was about to answer another question came, and this time he wasn't entirely sure who had even asked it.

"What will be happening next?"

"Hey, stop it, you need to give them chance to speak." Trip's voice rang out above the squabblish sounds of the majority of their senior staffs. Jon shared a look with Erika, who just gently shook her head. A few seconds later the discussion died off again, and he looked over them all before speaking.

"Well, on the first point, yes we do have new orders, but we're still all getting a few days on Earth before we leave for them."

"Does that include Columbia too?" Kiona once again asked, earning her a glare from everyone else at the table, Erika however just smiled and nodded.

"We've not gotten new orders yet, so yes, we'll be staying on Earth a little while too."

"Good."

"When the time comes to talk about orders, we will, we actually called you together as our friends to share some news, Rike?" Jon turned to her, and he noticed the moment of panic in her eyes as she turned back to him. That was maybe a little mean of him, considering she hadn't necessarily wanted to tell anyone just yet. He knew that she would find a way to make him pay for this, but he was certain it would be worth it.

"I think you should say, since you're the one who started this whole thing."

"Alright." He grinned at her, and she restrained herself from shaking her head, anyone who had known them for a long time would already have an idea of what they were going to say, just from the look on his face. "In Trip's words, I finally manned-up and proposed."

"Well, that wasn't what I was expecting." Trip said, looking as if someone had slapped him across the face with his surprise. Jon tried not to laugh as everyone else stood up and walked over to their COs, he saw the smiles on everyone's faces, and hoped that would convince Erika they'd done the right thing after all.

"So when will this be happening?" Kalil asked, shaking Jon's hand then hugging Erika, a seemingly repeating pattern by everyone.

"Not until after the war, that much we know, the rest is negotiable." Erika said, and he knew that was what they'd agreed, but he needed to remind her that if she let him, he'd marry her then and there.

"If she'd let me do it any sooner I'd do it tomorrow."

Trip finally made it to them, and everyone melted back for a minute, the three of them had been friends for so long, it seemed like everyone knew they would need a more private reaction. Maybe they should have told Trip privately, but he seemed happy as he tugged Erika into a very unprofessional hug. "It's about time."

"I knew you'd be the one to say that." She muttered to him as he let her go and turned to bear hug Jon. He wondered for a minute if Trip was going to burst out crying, and sorely hoped that he was wrong about that.

"That's why it's only the six of us here then?" Johanna asked, finally putting two and two together.

"Yeah, while we know this will get out before long. It always does on the ships. We wanted you all to hear it first. It doesn't mean anything will change."

"They act like an old married couple already. Ouch!" Kalil ducked from the chopstick Erika had thrown at his head, but not quickly enough, and suddenly Jon understood why Erika had stocked up on them earlier, she knew her XO well enough to know he'd come out with something like that. "That was uncalled for."

"I didn't see anything, did you Jon?"

"Not a thing." He agreed, wrapping an arm around Erika's shoulder briefly.

"I hate you all." Kalil grumped, and Jon couldn't help but laugh as their friends all began excitedly discussing the news, and he knew that eventually it would be harder for him to keep his worries about Columbia hidden from his crew, but he knew now that regardless of what happened, he would have Erika to come home too, not that he hadn't for the last 5 years, the last 19 years, but he also knew that this time things were different. He wasn't going to let rank or stature get in the way. He had learnt first time that it wasn't worth it. He just watched everyone, avoiding being pulled into conversation as he watched Erika pulled off to one side by Kiona and Johanna to talk about what plans they had. They hadn't really gotten that far. All he knew was that he wanted her in his life for the rest of his life. That was enough.


	2. Chapter 2

_**September 1st, 2159**_

The conversation had slid from one topic to another, but in the last few minutes of silence Jon had felt Trip's eyes glaring at him, and he felt like his friend could see right through his maudlin mood. Actually, knowing Trip, he probably could. After another few seconds he spoke, and it wasn't a question Jon had thought he'd be having to answer. "When did Columbia leave?"

"How did you know they'd left?" He asked in return, it wasn't something Starfleet had advertised, and he hadn't mentioned it to anyone, despite the lengthy goodbye he and Erika had had aboard Columbia the night before.

"You look like someone kicked Porthos. When?" Trip grinned, and Jon couldn't help but return it, looking at the dog who was sound asleep in the corner of the room.

"This morning." He admitted, then looked at Trip a second later, unable to believe it was actually that easy to figure out what was wrong with him and why. "Is it really that obvious?"

"This is the first time we've really been assigned away from Columbia in months, you got used to having Erika around. I don't blame you for missing her already." Trip smiled, and Jon knew that he really did understand. In the three years since Hoshi had left Enterprise, Trip had spent as much time away from her as Jon had away from Erika.

"We'll no doubt be reassigned to the same duties again soon. Now that Atlantis has finally shaken off her engine troubles, Command want us to show her the ropes." He motioned out of his viewport to the neighbouring starship. Atlantis had been drydocked for months with similar, but not identical, engine troubles to what had plagued Columbia when she was first due to be launched. When the engine troubles had been resolved, Command had assigned Atlantis to the safer side of space, leaving the other three NX ships to deal with the war. That was no longer an option, not since Endeavour's destruction at Rigel. He looked at the ship again, and wondered about the meeting that was probably due to start any minute, considering how long he and Trip had been sat talking.

Trip seemed to be following the same line of thought as he looked at Jon with a smirk. "Have you ever met Captain Hills?"

"No, I don't think so." He shook his head. He was aware that Jodie Hills was a good decade his junior, and that she was one of the youngest Captains to be given a command, but he had only heard good things about her tactics. She'd been a security officer, and that gave her an insight he was sure others didn't have.

Trip smirked again before speaking. "She's hard work. Really hard work."

"Have you forgotten who I'm engaged too?" Jon asked, grinning. Whatever anyone could say about Erika, and however much he loved her, the word 'easy' did not lend itself to her.

"Oh no, she makes Erika look like the most agreeable person in the galaxy. Jodie puts Tellarites to shame." Trip's grin made Jon think that possibly there was something else at play here, and knowing his chief engineer, he was willing to take a guess at what it was.

"How long were you sleeping with her?"

"I wasn't-" Trip trailed off at the look Jon gave him, one that he hoped conveyed the message 'cut the shit'. "7 months at STC."

"That was 20 years ago, things change." He said, and knew from his own experience that things couldn't be more different.

"Not the devil incarnate. She ate the professors for fun. Good luck." He grinned as the door chime sounded and stood up. Jon shook his head, staying sat in his chair.

"Thanks, Trip. Come in."

Trip walked in the biggest circle around to the door as he could in the small room, before shooting Jon another sarcastic grin. "I'll see you later, I promised Erika I'd forward her a few things. Captain Hills." Trip was at least polite, on the surface, to the woman who walked in the room just before he slid through the doors.

"Commander Tucker."

"Captain." He said, holding his hand out for her to shake.

"Commodore." She grasped his hand firmly, then stood to attention facing the opposite wall.

"Just Jon will be fine. Welcome to the front lines, Captain. How is Atlantis doing?" He said, expecting her to let herself go once Trip was out of the room, how wrong he was.

"She's finally got her engines aligned. Nobody seems sure quite what the problem was. But we made three runs out to Trillius and Betazed, with no major problems. Seems command has decided to finally throw us into the mix." There was a grim smile on her face, but her eyes still hadn't left the wall on the opposite side of his ready room. He wasn't sure if he should tell her to relax, or if she just didn't care about the politeness of looking at the person you were speaking too. Judging by her demeanour, he was willing to bet it was actually the latter of the two options.

"Well, we're not going to be having any battles this time, we hope. We're heading to Coridan, heading up the defense lines there. When you're situated, Enterprise will be returning and you'll be in charge out there. Think you're ready for it?" He walked around his desk, ducking under the support beam.

"I'm ready."

"Trip was telling me you and he have some history?" He said, trying anything to get a rise out of her.

"A long time ago." She said levelly, he inflection not changing in the least.

"It was nice talking to you. I'll forward you a copy of the battle plans this evening." He almost stammered, able to tell that he wasn't actually going to get very much more out of her. Somehow she was stiffer than Malcolm on parade, not a sight he saw often.

"Yes sir." She once again shot a slightly contemptuous look in his direction before looking straight at the wall again.

"Dismissed." He watched her turn on her heel and leave, and suddenly he understood exactly what Trip meant. While Erika was argumentative at the best of times, she at least acted like what others were saying was worth listening too.

He couldn't help but think that Jodie Hills was going to have a rude awakening out in the big universe, and unlike when Erika was fresh out, he didn't feel the need to try and protect Hills. She was almost certainly going to become the latest thorn in his side. He should start putting more faith in what Trip said, particularly when it came to officers he didn't know.


	3. Chapter 3

_**October 12th, 2159**_

The day had seemed to drag on, but it didn't seem to matter, he was still sat on the bridge reading over the progress reports from every ship in the defensive fleet. He had expected to be away from here by now. But he wasn't ready to hand over to _Atlantis_, and Shran hadn't arrive back yet. It had been two weeks since he'd heard from the Andorian general, and that worried him a little. He was just focusing on what he could control, and that was his own ship, and the fleet he'd been left in control of. His internal debate was ended by Donna leaning forward from the communications console. "There's a call for you, sir." He looked to her, his face clearly asking the question so he didn't have to speak. Donna smirked a little before she answered though, clearly listening to whatever the person on the other end of the line was saying. "It's Captain Hernandez." She said with an even bigger grin on her face.

He shook his head in her direction, already able to tell that whatever Erika had been saying, it was probably best he didn't ask the comm officer about it. "Transfer it down to my quarters, tell Erika I'll be with her in a minute. Malcolm, you have the Bridge." He looked to the tactical station, the short nod from Malcolm the only confirmation he needed.

He raced his way down to his quarters, knowing this was the easiest way to start his off duty hours, he was certain that Erika would tell him to sleep. He slid into the chair in front of the desk before hitting the button to connect the call, he saw the grin fading on Erika's face, and he realised that she'd probably continued speaking with Donna while she'd been waking. "Hey there. Do I want to know what you were saying to Donna?"

"Hey, and no, probably not. Were you still on duty?" She asked, a slight look of concern crossing her face.

"Still on the bridge, I got off duty a couple of hours ago, but I was waiting on a report." He grinned, gently shaking his head, but the concerned expression didn't fade. He wished he could reach out now to convince her that there was nothing wrong. "Seriously, Rike. You saved me from spending the entire night on the bridge."

The concern on her face faded, but he knew that he had just deflected it. There was something about her today, it seemed she just wanted to worry. "How are you Jon?"

"Other than bored, I'm OK."

"Patrol duty getting you down?" She broke into a small smile, and he let out a breath, glad that she seemed to have decided to let him off the hook.

"There have been a few raids the last few days, I think the Romulans are making another push. I just can't prove it yet." He grumbled, and the sympathetic look she shot him told him that she wished she could help him. The upside of that expression was that it told him that nothing was going on at Rigel. They needed the break.

"We're going to be part of the force at Rigel for at least the next few weeks, it's too bad we're not closer, or I'd help you out as best we could." She confirmed his thoughts, and he couldn't pretend he wasn't worried about her, or what was happening there.

"You have your own fleet out there Rike. How are things?"

"Quiet, surprisingly. A few of the Tellarites have been enticed into the poker tournament though, it's been fun." She chuckled, and he could hardly hold his in, he had to admit, the idea of any of the Tellarites he'd ever had the pleasure of talking with playing poker was an interesting mental image. "I feel like I've caught up on years worth of sleep." She smiled even more, and he had to admit, he was happy to hear that she was sleeping. She studied his face a second longer before asking a question that was clearly on her mind. "How is _Atlantis_ fitting in?"

"Don't get me started."

"That doesn't sound good?" The concern was straight back on her face, he just shook his head then stood up and started pacing along the side of his bed. Occasionally looking back to Erika, who was smiling at Porthos following him on the bed. He tried to word his thoughts of Captain Hills into something that was polite enough to be transferred through Starfleet's comm service.

"That's because it's not. Captain Hills is more stubborn than Admiral Black." He shook his head, and then stopped, standing in front of the screen, knowing he'd need to explain more to Erika, maybe not everything he wished he could say about her, he just hoped that his face told her what he wanted to say. "She's determined she knows exactly what is going on, and exactly how she can deal with everything. I keep having to remind her that despite _Atlantis'_ technology and crucial place in the war, she's the rookie out here. Every Captain in the fleet has more experience than she does."

"Sounds like she's a piece of work."

"She is, you'd hate her." He smiled, that was something he was absolutely certain of. Erika didn't like anyone who had ideas above their station, and who wouldn't accept help when it was offered. She would hide her feelings, but Jon knew that she'd had Hills, and that might be a problem in the long run.

"I don't believe that." She shook her head. He wasn't going to explain why over the comm, but he gave her a look, and she nodded before he spoke again.

"Wait til you have to work with her, Rike. With Gardner's permission I want to convene a meeting between the three NX ships within the next couple of months. Circumstances permitting. James is a big loss. He got used to how we worked, and he slipped in well. I'm not sure Hills is going to be so easy to fit in to our plans. We may have to make some changes."

"Oh joy." The sarcasm in her voice there made him think that maybe she was beginning to understand his misgivings.

"How did the inspection go?" He asked, trying to turn the conversation away from the negative, especially since it seemed she was stifling a yawn the same as he was.

"As expected. Sam spoke about how we'd come through all the problems caused and that we should all be proud of ourselves. I didn't pay very much attention, to be honest."

"That sounds like you. I should probably get some sleep, but I've a defence plan to write up. You should probably sleep too."

"That sounds like a challenge, sleep first. Then write the plan." It was clear from the look on her face that she'd be asking him about that the next time they spoke. "Call me tomorrow?" She asked, almost completely unnecessarily. She knew he would as well as he knew that she'd call him if it got too late without hearing from him. They had a routine, one he wasn't going to break unless he was forced too.

"As soon as I get off duty." He grinned and held her gaze a second longer before reaching forward and closing off the channel. At least he'd been able to speak to her today, and make her aware of his issues with _Atlantis_. At least it seemed that both Rigel and Coridan were being let be by the Romulans, this time. But there was something going on, he could tell. He had every reason to be suspicious of the silence of the Romulans, but he still hoped his instincts were wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

_**November 25th, 2159**_

He leant against the edge of the desk and watched as Erika paced up and down, for the first time he could recall, he was jealous that she didn't have to duck around the overheads as she paced. Something that had always made working off his own worries far harder to do in his ready room than in his quarters. But considering the formality of the meeting he'd felt that this was a better place to hold it. "How long are you going to be gone for?" Erika finally paused long enough to ask, and he realised at least some of the source of her trepidation. They'd made tentative Christmas plans, and he had to admit, he didn't really want to break them either.

"A couple of weeks, I think. Not counting travel time. I should be back out here by Christmas." He smiled a little as she turned to face him, and took a few steps toward him, so she was stood directly in front of him. A mischievous smile on her face.

"I was hoping I might get to give you your present on time this year."

"Ohh I get a present?" He grinned and pulled her closer, resting his hands behind her back and smiling as it became clearer that locking the door had been a good idea. "I hope it's a well thought out present." He teased, knowing already what she'd gotten him. They got each other almost the same thing every year, and had for close to two decades.

Erika bit her lip and grinned again, her mind clearly a million miles from the work they were supposed to be thinking about. He was almost worried about what she might come out with in response. "And if you're lucky, I shall only be wearing my blues when I deliver it." She whispered a second later, and that was it. He couldn't hold himself back a second longer. He pulled her tight against him and kissed her as hard as he could. She was kissing back just as hard when the door chime sounded, and he thanked his foresight for remembering to lock the door when Erika had arrived.

He pulled back and was greeted by a groan, Erika clearly indicating that she was unhappy things had ended where they did, but they had both known there was a third expected for the meeting, and that maybe they should have kept to business before the meeting. "Hold that thought. Who is it?" He asked, his hands still on Erika's hips.

"Captain Hills, sir."

"Back to work we go." He gave her a final light kiss before she retreated to the back corner of the room, her favourite place to stand during meetings, for reasons he'd yet to ask about. He just gave her a questioning look as he called over his shoulder. "Come in."

"Oh, Captain Hernandez, I didn't expect you to be here." Hills' reaction to Erika's presence surprised him. He'd made it fairly clear when he'd called this meeting that they'd both be there.

"I wanted to brief you both. I was just telling Erika that I've been recalled to Earth, the Coalition is on the verge of signing a mutual defence treaty."

"I thought we already had one." Hills asked, and Jon didn't even need to look at Erika to know what she was doing. While she wouldn't give any outward signs, at least not yet, he could almost feel the eyeroll from across the room.

"In words alone. The other fleets could have been pulled at any moment without any notice." He said as simply as he could, and he knew he could depend on Erika to pick up the ball he'd set rolling.

"And they have been, before. More than once." She took a step forward and he felt her hand on his shoulder. "That's why you've been recalled?"

"Exactly. I'm hoping to be back here as soon as possible. I'm leaving you in charge while I'm gone."

"Is that the best idea sir?" Jon fought the urge to look at Erika again, and failed miserably. Her eyebrows were almost disappearing into her hairline as she looked at the younger captain with a combination of annoyance and disbelief. He had to turn away from them both for a moment as he formulated his response, partially so he would sound professional, and partially so he wouldn't laugh at the look on Erika's face.

"Why would it not be?" He heard Erika ask, sarcasm dripping from her tone. He once again had to fight the urge to laugh, and knew that he needed to speak as it became clear that Hills wasn't going to answer her. Once he turned around, he noticed Erika had shrank back to her corner, while Hills hadn't moved from her spot by the door.

He put on the voice he'd been calling the 'patient schoolteacher' in his head. Mostly he'd had to use it on overenthusiastic new recruits, but he couldn't help turning it on Hills. He knew that he was making the right choice leaving the fleet in Erika's hands, and he couldn't think of many who would disagree. Especially not when Erika was right there in the room. "Captain Hernandez has been out on the front lines for 5 years, and has been commanding fleets in all that time, so yes. She is the best idea, and you'll follow her orders."

"Yes sir." Hills said, and he almost sensed the reticence in her voice, however it seemed Erika had made the decision to ignore the other woman in the room.

"Have we had any reports of Romulan movements?" Erika turned to him, her back to Hills, and it was becoming clearer with every minute that he'd been absolutely correct about the two women not getting along, but Erika was professional enough to know that addressing it was a very bad idea, at least right now. They had jobs to do.

"None, that's what I'm worried about, I want to put both _Columbia_ and _Atlantis_ on patrol, between Rigel and Coridan."

"Back to the beginning of the war?" He caught the smile in Erika's voice, and turned to her to return it. The patrols had always worked well for them, and the occasional rendezvous had been big points in their early relationship.

"It worked for us, and neither were attacked until after patrols stopped." He grinned, sharing her pleasure that that part of their jobs had returned, even if _Enterprise_ wasn't going to be patrolling. "If _Atlantis_ leaves for Rigel tonight, and you two liaise to begin your patrols once _Atlantis_ has arrived."

"I think we can do that." She grinned again, and they both turned to Hills, who had clearly been watching their exchange closely. Not that he really cared. Their relationship was not the secret it once had been.

Instead of asking any questions, Hills just pulled a mildly distasteful look before turning to him. "I'd like to get my ship ready to depart, Commodore."

"Dismissed." He watched as she left, and then looked to Erika who sagged onto the sofa. "I told you that you'd hate her." He muttered, not even bothering to lock the door again behind the retreating Captain, already knowing that his borrowed time here was almost at an end.

"Are you kidding. I love her." He looked at her, and a second later she broke into a sarcastic smile and he knew that he'd been right. "In the sense that I want to feed her to my cat."

"Has Grumps grown since I last saw him?" He stopped and shook his head, before sitting beside her and resting his hand on her knee. "I promise I'll only leave you with her for a month, she'll be my problem again by Christmas." Erika rolled her eyes and leant back against the backrest of the sofa before threading her fingers through his.

"We're getting married. Your problems are my problems." She gave him a gentle kiss before standing up and shrugging gently. "I suppose I should go back to _Columbia_, and you need to get to Earth."

"Hey, not so fast Captain." He grinned, standing up and pulling her back into his arms for another minute. "Don't murder her while I'm gone." He whispered in her ear, then gave her another kiss before letting her go. She walked to the door before turning back and fixing him with one of the most insincere looks he'd ever gotten from her.

"I'm not making any promises." She said, one foot through the open door as she got ready to make an escape.

"Love you." He said louder than he'd expected.

"Love you too, Jon." Came Trip's obviously sarcastic reply from the open bridge door, and Jon glared in Erika's direction as only her foot was visible leaving the ready room. He went back to doing his work after giving the order to depart for Earth as soon as Erika was back aboard Columbia, all the while swearing that he would get his revenge on both her and Trip for their clearly planned exit.


	5. Chapter 5

_**December 20th, 2159**_

The informal meeting with two of the younger Captains was definitely needed. Harry Lord and his ship were fresh out onto the front lines, and while he was eager, and had been learning a lot from those around him, he still needed to learn exactly where the line was to be drawn in his ideas. Jodie Hills was, slowly, coming out of herself and making it easier for the other captains to relate to her. They were all laughing at one of Erika's stories about a diplomatic mission gone wrong when the communications system interrupted them. He was still chuckling as he answered. "Archer."

"_Sir, there is a call through, it's Starfleet Command_." The ambiance in the room changed almost automatically, he shared a look with Erika, and knew instantly that she was thinking the same thing he was.

"Patch it through, ensign. We'll take it in my ready room."

The screen came alive, and all four crowded around the table. Sam looked at Jon, then looked at the ship commanders all variously gathered around him. Jodie on the other seat, Harry stood behind her, Erika behind Jon, her hands on his shoulders. "Commodore, oh, Captain Hernandez, Captain Hills, Captain Lord. I didn't expect you all together."

"Just doing some combat planning admiral." He made the excuse, before one of the others could blurt something out.

"We can leave if you need to speak to Jon, sir." Erika said, showing her experience clearly with that one sentence.

"No, this is information that will affect all of you. The Tellarite intelligence ships returned yesterday. They confirmed what the Andorian fleet discovered." Sam shook his head, and it was obvious that he didn't like the news he was having to give them. Jon was fairly sure he knew why, and it was the worst news the coalition could get. "There is a shipyard at Cheron."

"Damn." He and Erika muttered at the same time.

"No wonder they always seem to have so many ships. The natural resources there are immense." Harry expanded on what they were both thinking, but hadn't felt the need to say.

"Wouldn't it be best for us to take the fight there?" Jodie asked, relatively innocently, and Jon was reminded that the younger captains in the room were still newbies to this war.

"Maybe, in a few months when we have the ships and man power to do it." He groaned, the lack of ships was something that Starfleet was really struggling with at this point in time.

"We need to annex one of the feeder planets. Like Danube or Nilar IV." Erika said, forcefully. She had her pet theory, one she'd been pushing for weeks, but this time he knew not only was she probably right, but it was probably going to happen. Which reminded him of something else.

"You still need to teach me how to say Danube's Romulan name." He muttered back to Erika almost under the threshold of what the others could hear, he knew she heard him, and leant forward to reply.

"I will, focus." She whispered in his ear, resting her hand on the nape of his neck and stroking it in a not unpleasant fashion. He focused on the words, but certainly felt calmer with Erika's gentle massage.

"I think an attack on Danube could be planned in three or four weeks, we have enough ships in the coalition to maintain an annexation." Gardner said, looking out of the screen expectantly at the four ship commanders.

"What is Danube?" Jodie asked, seemingly the question was open to the room.

"Dilithium mines, I think. It's the closest Romulan supply planet to coalition space, but we haven't attacked their targets before, so they don't protect their systems as heavily as we do. Look, if we inserted small fighter groups here, here and here, leaving the heavy attack cruisers to come in after the lines are broken to officially annex the planet from orbit." Jon turned to Harry Lord at the same time as his companions. All of them looking surprised at the simplicity of his plan. He just shrugged a little, and waited for everyone to turn away.

"Captain, you may be on to something there, Hernandez, Hills, think your ships would be OK running this one?"

"I'm certainly willing to start planning it." Erika said, still stroking the back of his neck. The motion far more soothing than he'd expected it to be.

"No Enterprise though?" Jodie asked, but Gardner's eyes stayed fixed on Jon.

"No, Jon. We're going to need you back on Earth, you're the one the security council wants to hear from. Stay out there, until it's all planned, then leave the attack to Captain Hernandez. She's had plenty of experience now to get this job done." Gardner said, and while Jon agreed she did, he would have rather done it himself.

"Thank you, Admiral." Erika muttered, and he felt her hand tense on the back of his neck.

"Get to planning, get to talking. You have the reigns on this one. Command out." Jon took a second to let everyone think over what the Admiral had left them with, before he started giving out orders. Thinking about who was best for what job. He watched as the three Captains spread out. Harry sitting himself on the small sofa, thinking it over, Jodie paced the length of his ready room, and Erika, as always, sat herself in the chair beside his desk and looked as comfortable as she would if she was on her own ship. He looked at her with a head shake before giving out the orders.

"Well, that was interesting. Glad you were all here for it. Harry, think that the Mowbray is up to the task of leading the intrepid class fighters, and probably most of the Andorian ships."

"Should be. We only joined the fight last month though." Harry sounded as nervous as any Captain preparing for a battle, it was something that nobody ever got used too. Planning was one thing, what he was now being asked to do was much more.

"That's plenty of time, go speak to the intrepid class captains, use the comm juncture on the bridge if needed. Donna will get you everyone. I want you to be their point man, reporting back to us."

"Aye sir." Harry Lord left. The new Captain of the Mowbray, the first of the intrepid class ships to be upgraded to Warp 5 was a tactical planning genius in some ways, but so very naive in others. He knew that Harry had been running to Erika with his problems, and he remembered the story Erika had mentioned their last stolen night, about how Harry had propositioned her, and she'd told him she had a man back home. Enterprise had been on Earth at the time, so technically she'd been right. He shook his head in her direction before turning to Jodie.

"Jodie, Atlantis has taken a few hits the last few months, hasn't she?"

"Nothing we couldn't handle, sir."

"Of course not, is she up to scratch?"

"What do you mean?" Jodie asked, her eyes narrowing slightly, and Jon tried to ignore the look on Erika's face, just out of Jodie's range of sight.

"Running at 100%?" He asked, already knowing the answer, but he hoped that she'd become comfortable enough over the last few months to admit it to him.

"More like 90%. I'll get on that."

"Report back to be when you're done."

"Yes sir." Jodie replied and turned on her heel. Leaving without so much as a word.

"And you." He turned to the last Captain in the room, the one who had looked the most comfortable in this room since they'd all arrived.

"What have I done?" She asked, just a little too defensively. He knew they were alone now, but there still needed to be some professionalism maintained, just as it always had recently. They had spent most of their time patrolling and planning. Rarely had they been alone and rarer still had they sneaked a night away from their responsibilities together. He just wanted to hold her, but instead settled with taking hold of her hand on the table.

"Well, I know Columbia's running the best she ever has, and I know that mostly her crew is sound, but Rike. Are you ready to take this on?" He asked honestly, needing to know both as her partner and as her commanding officer. It was made harder by the fact he loved her, because he was going to worry about her no matter what.

"Are you doubting my abilities as a Captain, or my ability to separate the job from what's going on in my head?"

"Neither, and you know that. I'm just worried about you, because I love you. It wasn't so long ago that I found you all but catatonic sat in the dark." That had been an image that still haunted him, despite the months that had passed since that night.

"Sorry, Jon. I guess I'm feeling a little defensive. I can do this. I can. I know that there are decisions I'll have to make over the course of this mission that will define who I am as a leader." She shook her head a little, and he knew what she was thinking, because a few years earlier he'd probably been thinking the same thing. She turned his hand over, stroking it lightly in a way she hadn't done in years, and he knew it was one of her nervous habits. "And while I always wanted to be a Captain, I didn't want to be a soldier. But I am now, and I think I'm getting more used to it."

"It's hard at the top, isn't it?" He asked rhetorically, wishing that he could save her from this, but they'd both known it was coming, even if they'd wanted to avoid it.

"You can say that again." She smiled lightly and kissed his cheek as she stood up. He followed her suit a second later, not really wanting to let her go. "When are you planning on holding a briefing?"

"Tomorrow morning, Oh nine hundred. In the large briefing room on G deck. I think we can fit everyone in there, I'll write up Harry's plan tonight." He shook his head and stretched, wondering exactly how long he'd been awake, and how long he'd been acting as though he had any control over this fleet any more. He felt more tired stood up.

"You know, Kalil has got everything covered on Columbia for a while. I could stay and help?" She asked softly, and he reached out for her hand. Work had largely kept them apart in recent weeks, so if they could work together, he wasn't going to say no.

"That would be nice." He smiled, they both knew they needed to get this work done, and that the time for them would be after the war. But if he could find an excuse to spend 15 minutes with her, an hour with her, and it be shown to be over the course of their duties - He wasn't going to say no. She was also a master planner, and sometimes could see holes in the lines long before he could. Having Erika around when he was writing up battle plans was always a good plan, for him at least. It normally meant there would be no holes. He passed her a PADD and pulled her to the sofa, wrapping an arm around her as they worked.


	6. Chapter 6

_**January 15th, 2160**_

"How did we do?" The question wasn't one that really needed to be asked. She knew that Columbia had done alright, but it was obvious Kalil knew she was speaking about the fleet at large. That was something she was still getting used to, this was only the third time she'd been in command of the fleet, and by some fluke of luck she'd been successful in all her engagements. She was secretly waiting for the fail that she knew was going to be coming before too long.

"No ship losses, I'm still waiting to get all the damage and casualty lists."

"Contact me when you have them. I need to go check in with Stewart then tell Starfleet that we've succeeded."

"It's too bad that they couldn't just see what were doing."

"I'm sure one day technology will advance there. I'll be in engineering." She grinned to the officers on the bridge, nodding slightly to Kalil, he already knew the drill though.

"Are you seeing Lieutenant Rivers, sir?" A young blonde crewman jumped up as she passed a group doing some minor repair.

"That's the plan." She smiled, holding a hand out and inviting the young crewman to walk alongside her. She looked at the girl again, and for the life of her couldn't remember her name. She blamed exhaustion, that was her excuse and she was sticking to it.

"Captain, he was flung off the upper balcony, but he refuses to go to sickbay. Maybe you can convince him?" She asked, and it was obvious that she was worried about her superior, something that made Erika smile, and she understood how hard it had probably been for her to approach the captain with this, especially during the busy hours after an engagement.

"I'll try, crewman."

"Thanks sir." The crewman nodded and went back about her duties, Erika's eyes followed her before she turned back to the open door to main engineering. Looking around at the almost pristine engineering section.

"What's the damage?" She asked, climbing up beside Stewart Rivers on the platform in front of the reactor, looking over his shoulder at the results he was studying, she had become a fairly decent engineer over the years, but she still had no idea what she was being told.

"We've come off fairly easy this time, a few fused plasma relays in the main assembly. Some battle damage to the port nacelle, I've got my boys up there already. If they are needed, we can probably rotate some engineers around the more damaged ships." Stewart's offer was one she'd never heard him give before, but then again, Columbia had never been the important ship in a fleet before, and she had normally ended up far more damaged.

"The Vulcans might actually take you up on that, they were hit worst." She shook her head, the Vulcans were getting better at accepting help from the lowly humans, but they still fought it as best they could, this time she thought they might actually need the help.

"Romulans seem to hate Vulcans more than the rest of us, and yes, I mean that both ways."

"You're awful sometimes."

"Sometimes?" He asked with a grin as she slid back down.

"How are you doing, I heard you took a nasty fall?" She asked turning back and looking up at him, knowing he wouldn't be truthful about any injuries, he never was, his duty was to the ship first.

"Wrist hurts a little, and I have a headache." He said, shaking his head and going back to checking the readings behind him, but she wasn't letting him get off that easily.

"When you have everything organised, get yourself checked out in sickbay. I don't need to lose another chief engineer from some sort of delayed brain bleed."

"You're a ray of sunshine today." Stewart said sarcastically, studying her in a similar manner to the way she just had him.

"Yes I am. Get checked out, that's an order. I will check with Johanna when I go off duty too."

"I'll go, I'll go." He held his hands above his head, clearly understanding that she really would. She knew that engineers would avoid going to sickbay as long as they could in a crisis, every engineer she'd ever known had been exactly the same. She was appeased with that, and decided that rather than cross into parenting territory she'd go deal with the officials.

"I'll be in my quarters if you need me." She said, turning away to leave before she heard a sarcastic snort from behind her.

"Is that an invitation, Captain?" Stewart teased with a smirk.

"If I had anything to throw at you right now I would, brain bleed or not." She growled with a grin, it was becoming far too common that she threatened to throw things at her senior staff. She rarely threw anything at anyone though, apart from the occasional chopstick at Kalil.

"Ouch, my pride is hurt." Stewart smiled back at her, exaggerating holding his chest.

"More than that would be hurt if I had the option." She grinned and turned out to just get some semblance of privacy for a while. The ship surprisingly quiet for the aftermath of a battle. She was used to Columbia being the cannon fodder, and them having far more damage to deal with than they did this time. She looked around as she made it to her quarters hitting the companel on the wall, calling up to the bridge. "Put me through to command."

"Captain Hernandez." Came the surprised but pleased face of Admiral Sam Gardner, with Jon stood right beside him.

"Sir, we've taken Danube." She said, studying both the men on the screen, both wired up for completely different reasons.

"Well done Erika." Jon said, the smile on his face full of pride.

"Yes, Well done Captain, what's the damage to the fleet?" Sam asked, seeming to stare her down. It was in situations like this where Sam Gardner could still intimidate her. She shook her head, and broke eye contact for a moment to check her PADD, even though she knew exactly what it was going to tell her.

"We didn't lose a single ship. Harry's surprise tactic seemed right on the money. We're still collating casualty reports. It seems the Vulcans took the brunt of the damage. I've got engineers deploying to where they can help from Columbia."

"No damage to you?" Jon asked, the worry in his voice quite clear, but she knew that was at least as much personal as it was professional, but she understood.

"Very little, Columbia was the last ship to join the fray though. We've had the planet secured about an hour."

"We'll send Jon to inspect in the next few weeks." Sam smiled, looking down and off the screen, she took the opportunity to nod at Jon, hoping to convey that she was perfectly fine.

"Yes sir, thank you. See you soon, Jon." She couldn't help but speak directly to him, but since she didn't have a full report yet, Sam seemed to be willing to cut them some slack.

"As soon as I can." He smiled at her, and their eyes met a minute longer, trading everything they couldn't say in public. She kept hold of it til the connection ended, then looked to her bed, and the unhappy cat that was stretching out watching her.

"I suppose I should go and check those casualty reports, shouldn't I." She bent down and stroked his belly before turning to the door. The least enjoyable of the post combat duties was always the casualty lists, and she was certain that there would be a number on this. It was part of the burden of command, but it seemed that everything was building up, and maybe soon they would be able to end this ridiculousness.


	7. Chapter 7

_**February 28th, 2160**_

It had felt like a very long journey from Earth, but it was worth it as he climbed across the final threshold and boarded Columbia. As usual, Erika's smiling face the first thing he saw. Unusually there was no damage for him to climb over, on either side of the airlock. He spent a minute studying Erika before he said anything. She looked the most rested she had in a long while, but from what he remembered of patrol and stationary duty, very little happened. He broke into a smile when he met her eyes, knowing that she'd missed him too, not that they would have much time together. He needed to get back to Earth soon. "Hey."

"Hey yourself. Welcome to Danube"

"What's the Romulan name?" He'd been curious about that, and when none of his bridge crew had been able to hazard a guess he'd made a mental note to ask her, almost certain that she'd have known.

"D'Shareel, I think."

"You speak thirty-five languages fluently, don't tell me that Romulan has you stumped." He teased, and while she smiled back at him he could see the stress lines. He wondered if the Vulcan commanders were giving her a hard time. While in the eyes of most Humans, she was barreling toward middle-age, she was little more than an adolescent to some of the Vulcan commanders, and he was certain they wouldn't be happy taking her orders.

"I speak thirty-eight, Romulan included. I just confuse D'Shareel and S'Darehl"

"When did you learn three more?" He asked, not sure how he had missed that.

"Just because I'm a Captain and we're at war doesn't mean I'm not learning." She grinned, turning in the direction of one of the briefing rooms included on this level to make war meetings easier.

"Hoshi?" He asked, already certain that was going to be the answer. The two linguists had been sharing languages, he knew that from Trip's occasional updates from Earth.

"Yeah." Erika's smile seemed just a little pulled, and he wondered what was bothering her, before he could ask she started speaking again. "Want the briefing before dinner?"

"I'm getting dinner?" He asked, that was news to him, Enterprise was only scheduled to be there a few hours, but taking a few extra minutes to eat with her seemed like it was something he could bullshit through command.

"Well, you're not going to like the briefing, so I was figuring I could use dinner as leverage."

"Why am I not going to like it?" He asked, almost certain that he wouldn't if she was so adamant he wouldn't like it, and she felt she needed leverage to get through it.

"Not here, Jonathan." She said, turning and continuing the march down the hall, they'd been going far slower until then, but now he knew that business was pressing, and she probably wanted it out of the way. She'd never been a big fan of formal meetings.

"OK. Give me the bullet?" He asked, almost the minute they were in the briefing room. Erika waved the security officer out before turning to him.

"This isn't working." Always a talent for getting right down to business, he was glad that she wasn't taking a break from that just because he was here acting as her superior officer, in a situation where she would need to defer to him if it came to it.

"What do you mean?"

"We've been here a month, but it's not actually changing anything and it's taking ships off the front lines." She growled, and he could hear the accusation in her voice.

"Erika." He admonished slightly, but he was curious. She wouldn't speak to him that way, not professionally at least, if she didn't think that she was on to something.

"Jonathan, we've been on the back foot for this entire war. They've attacked and we've responded. We took Danube and it hasn't even slowed the Romulan forces. We need to hit somewhere important. We should aim for the shipbuilding facility at Cheron or the dilithium mines at Sakure." She took a few steps closer to him, but he had thought about it, of course he had. It wasn't something he could ignore.

"You think that hasn't crossed my mind? It would be too big a risk!" He turned away from her, he had thought of both, and rejected them, he couldn't see a way they would get close enough to even begin an attack on either of the targets.

"It might be the only way we can win this war. They have more ships than us, and they can seem to replenish their supplies far quicker. The longer we hold here the longer we're focusing on the wrong place. The wrong front. And the more open we're leaving coalition lines."

"You seem to have but a lot of thought into this, Rike?" He asked, if she had put time and effort into it, it was only polite that he listen, and if her knew her, there was a chance that she had a point.

"It's pretty boring out this way when you're not inspecting, and my entire fleet is made up of Vulcans, it's not as if I have communication partners." She shrugged gently before activating the tactical viewer behind ahead of them. She leant forward, running her finger along the line that showed the Coalition fleet around Danube. "We can hold here, but the Andorians, or the Tellarites should start making surgical strikes along Romulan positions, particularly near Cheron." She moved her finger to Romulan military positions in the adjacent systems, and Jon had to admit, she had seen something nobody else had. "That would draw their fleet there. Then one final stand. All or nothing. The Coalition could do it, surprise waved attacks. We know how well they work, particularly when we mix it up."

"You might be on to something, you have this all written down?" He asked, turning to her again, ripping his eyes away from the display to look at something equally as interesting.

"I'll have it all put on a PADD for when you leave. So you can take it back to Starfleet and take all the glory."

"Oh no, I will tell Gardner that my tactical genius of a wife planned this out, and that I concur." He grinned pulling her slightly closer to him, and taking hold of her hands as he did so. Glad that for the moment they were alone, for the first time in months.

"I'm not your wife yet, buster." She smirked, squeezing his hand.

"You will be soon enough for me to panic Gardner by saying it." He grinned, playing with the engagement ring on her finger, until she pulled her hand out of his grip and fixed him with a glare.

"You are incorrigible."

"That's a big word for this time of day." He complained, scowling lightheartedly at her, almost bursting out laughing at her eye roll.

"It's 4pm Jon."

"It's a big word for any time of day." He smiled as she gently punched his shoulder, a teasing smirk on her face. "OK. So, shift the focus from our lines, and head more attacks toward the Romulan lines." He brought the conversation back to the point.

"Cheron would be ideal. It's one of their outlying outposts, far from Romulus. While Sakure would hamper their ability more than Cheron, it's also closer to their core systems. Easier to defend." She pointed out the various systems that she had highlighted, and he was glad that she was at least leaving the displays in English, rather than displaying the Romulan names, which he probably would have deserved after teasing her earlier.

"You are a genius, Erika." She smiled as he pulled her next to him, and she rested her head against his shoulder as he looked over the movements again.

"Why thank you, commodore." He grinned at her use of his rank, and he had to give it to her, she had definitely thought of everything, he thumbed through the next few pages of her plans, and he could see that she definitely had a far more deep plan than he had thought of. He knew this could indeed be what they needed, but he also knew it would be a hard one to pull off. He'd present it to Starfleet when he returned, and he would make sure Erika got the commendation she deserved. Erika had been wrong though, he had enjoyed the briefing very much, even if it wasn't what he had wanted to hear.


	8. Chapter 8

_**March 9th, 2160**_

His life was made up of briefings, but this one was different. It was just him and Shran, and they had very different ideas on what would work best for the coalition to take the fight to the Romulans. While he could understand and appreciate that Andorian tactics were very different from Human ones, some of what had been suggested would break the Geneva convention, and while he couldn't hold the rest of the coalition to humanities rules, he had no intention of breaking the convention and becoming, technically, a war criminal. He had to wonder if Shran really thought these tactics would work, or if he just liked suggesting them. "You think that'll work?"

"If you and the lovely Captain Hernandez can pull it off, definitely." He ignored the jibe about Erika, because he knew that Shran was trying to bait him into saying something he'd probably regret.

"Ours pilots can handle the flying, and I'm absolutely certain that our tactical officers can handle the shooting, but it seems a big risk for little gain, and I'm certain Starfleet wouldn't take that risk." He shook his head, pulling up the original plans again.

"You need to start taking more risks, pinkskin." Shran said, a smirk on his face. It was a challenge, Jon could tell that much. He wasn't going to rise to it.

"Not when we have tactics that work." He defended again.

"Tactics can be learnt by the enemy. You need to change things."

"That isn't always possible."

"You say that, but I never use the same tactic twice." Shran said, and Jon understood what he meant, but the tactic was a desperate measure.

"The decision has already been made that we're going to send a smaller force to complete the first raids to cut off Romulan supply lines. We should really see how successful that is before we make any further long term plans."

"Cheron is where we need to focus." Shran said, pointing at the system on the display.

"I know, you aren't the only one to say that, in fact, that was Erika's whole suggestion to start with." He defended, Erika had given him the only plan Starfleet was going to agree to for the attack on Cheron, but he could also see the logic in Shran's suggestion, even if he knew Starfleet would be unlikely to ever agree.

"Commodore." Came through the comm.

"Yes, ensign." He groaned, he'd left very specific instructions that he shouldn't be disturbed unless there was an emergency. He'd be back aboard Enterprise in a few hours, and he was certain that anything could have waited til then.

"You have a priority red call from Danube." The stress in the young officers' voice was obvious, putting Jon slightly on edge.

"Put it through." The bridge of Columbia was displayed on the screen in front of him, and he studied the signs of damage before studying the Captain in the middle of the screen. She looked like hell, a cut above her right eyebrow and her hair falling out of her usual professional style. "Erika?" He hoped his question carried in her name.

"We're in retreat Jon. The whole force. Danube is back in Romulan hands."

"What happened?" He asked, last he'd checked in with her, everything there had been ticking over as usual.

"They did an old up and under. Apparently the Vulcans weren't familiar with the tactic." He heard the derision in her voice, and the snort from Shran stood beside him.

"Get back to Earth, we'll have to figure something else out." He gave the order, even though he knew that Erika would already be on her way back. She wasn't stupid, she'd know a lost cause when she was faced with one, and the last thing she was was suicidal.

"We'll be there soon, I'll contact you as soon as I can with a full report." She said, brushing another strand of hair out of her eyes as another shower of sparks erupted behind her and something unintelligible was called across the bridge.

"Thanks Rike. Be safe." He told her, appreciating the fact that her crew were clearly trying to give the two as much privacy as could be given. That was all he could say to her in this situation, but he saw the tug at the corner of her mouth, and knew she understood what he meant.

"Always, Jonathan." She replied, and he heard the undercurrent of a promise in her words, something she couldn't say in the middle of her bridge.

"If Danube has fallen, my idea might be the only one." Shran said, and Jon shook his head a second, pacing around the sides of the room, knowing he should focus on the planning rather than on Erika and her fleet. She had looked fine, and it didn't look like there was too much damage to Columbia. He turned back to Shran, and considered the idea that had been presented to him already.

"Unfortunately, in this situation, I agree. I'm not happy about it, but I agree. I wouldn't send Starfleet ships though." He said, the decision already made in his mind. While he knew his crews were good, and the officers were ready to give up their lives in defence of Earth, he also knew that they wouldn't be able to pull off the more aggressive tactics the Andorian general had suggested. Jon found them distasteful enough. Though he was sure they'd be effective.

"Too dangerous?" Shran spat, as if he had expect more of Jon.

"No, it's a matter of experience." Shran turned to him with a confused look, one that Jon had fully expected. "Your fleet have done these types of raids before, correct?" He asked, already sure of the answer, but asking anyway. If only to remind Shran that he was the one command.

"Yes." Shran nodded.

"Starfleet can run the raids we have planned, along with help from the Vulcans, if your fleet liaise with the Tellarites, we can hit all the targets in a surgical strike and, hopefully, cripple the Romulan fleet." Jon hoped that the Andorian and Tellarite fleets could be counted on to not turn on each other, but for the last few years they had all learnt to work together, it was hard going, but Jon was certain that it was all going to work now, and they were going to be able to finally win this war.

"Then, on to Cheron." Shran pointed, a note of excitement in his voice.

"As soon as they start focusing on the other areas." He nodded, glad to see that Shran was beginning to understand where the Starfleet plan differed from the Andorian.

"Pinkskin, you might be on to something, I'm impressed." Shran clapped him on the shoulder with a toothy smile. The one that Jon was never entirely sure how to take.

"I'm not just a pretty face." He grinned and turned back to the operations table, mentally tracking the ships in the fleet he would need to make this plan of Shran's work. With the fall of Danube, this was their last best chance, and it was probably the only one they were going to get now. He just hoped that there hadn't been too many losses at Danube.


	9. Chapter 9

_**April 21st, 2160**_

She hadn't quite expected the heroes welcome it seemed they were being welcomed home to. She understood that their's was the first successful raid on a Romulan outpost, but she had expected a relatively quiet return to Starfleet, especially with a day before the debriefs started. She was still adjusting to the sunlight when she heard the booming voice of Admiral Black. "Welcome back, Captains, and well done, Captain Hernandez." She felt hands clapping her on the back, but all she could focus on was trying to blink the sun out of her eyes.

"Thank you Admiral." She said in the direction of the speaker, finally focusing enough to see people moving toward the main building, she was about to start when she was gently pulled back as someone slipped an arm around her. It took her less than a second to realise it was Jon, he confirmed that a second later when he leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"You're a hero."

"I am not." She hissed, smiling up at him as they passed into the halls of Starfleet Command, and as usual between the two of them they were at the back of the throng. Jon slid his hand into hers, and she was grateful for the contact.

"I missed you." He dropped his voice to barely above a whisper, leaning toward her slightly. She couldn't help but smile at that. It was always nice to be told she was missed.

"Me too. I didn't expect you to be here?" She asked, similarly whispering. Trying to keep her eyes forward as they filed in the direction of one of the briefing room.

"Skirmish damage, Enterprise had to come back to dock. Did it go as successfully as it appeared?" He sounded mostly nonchalant, but all she focused on was that Enterprise had had another skirmish. She looked up and narrowed her eyes before answering his question and asking one of her own.

"Yeah. They didn't see us coming, you were in a skirmish, are you OK?"

"Yes. Are we on for dinner tonight?" He whispered, just as the room went quiet. She pulled a face at him as she realised people were looking around at them. "Sorry." Jon said a second later, holding his hand up and looking just like he had been caught passing notes in class. Erika tried not to grin at him, but she couldn't. It felt nice to be getting into trouble again, rather than being the boss.

"After this successful mission, and Commodore Archer and General Shran's careful planning of the next move, your ships will all be being used in the next offensive. I suggest you take advantage of the leave you'll be given. Dismissed." She turned to leave before Sam called her back, she wasn't entirely surprised, but she still didn't to stay. "Captain Hernandez?"

"I'll wait outside." Jon said, giving her hand another squeeze and turning and leaving with the others. She watched him leave before she turned back to Sam, who had an understanding look on his face. The last year or so, he had become more understand about her relationship with Jon. Not that it had been a surprise for any of them who had worked on the NX Programme with them. After almost 20 years, she doubted anything surprised most of them.

"Sir?"

"I wanted to be the one to tell you, you've been given a commendation for leading this mission. Admirals' medal of honour." He smiled, and she couldn't help but return it. It wasn't her first commendation, it was her 16th, but it was the highest by far. She didn't think Jon had an Admiralty medal yet.

"Well, thank you sir." She grinned, as Sam shook her hand again.

"You deserve it, Jon might have always got the credit, but you've been the brains all along. We knew that."

"I won't tell him you said that." She couldn't help but chuckle at that, it was pretty close to the truth. All her career she had often stepped back and let others take the glory. She had learnt she couldn't do that as a Captain, but she had still often been behind Jon. He was the one people wanted to see.

"Enjoy your leave, Erika. But remind Jon he only has until tomorrow."

"I will sir." She smiled, and turned on her heel, almost barreling straight into Jon's chest. She reached around as he caught and stopped her falling backwards.

"What was that about?" He asked, once she was back and stable on her feet, leading her away from

"I got a commendation. Admirals medal."

"Well done." His grin seemed to grow as he looked at her, the pride clearly written on his face. She reached out for his hand again, wanting to keep hold of him, however symbolically. She really had missed him. "Too bad I won't be here for that." He muttered a minute later, a frown growing for a second.

"Sam said to remind you that you only had til tomorrow. He knows exactly what you are planning to do, doesn't he?"

"I may have mentioned my plans to him earlier. I need to check in with Enterprise, remind Malcolm that Trip and I will both be back tomorrow. Can I meet you at home. Dress nicely."

"No uniform?" She asked, needing the clarification as to whether she'd need to raid her still packed wardrobe.

"And no blues either. You know that we won't end up doing anything if you do that to me again." He fixed her with a serious look, but she couldn't help but pout. She'd hoped that once she got home she wouldn't have to change again, but it was obvious Jon had something planned, and she was willing to play along, up to a certain point, at least.

"Fine, I'll behave." She grinned, and was more than a little shocked when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Obviously he had decided that since everyone knew about them now, it wasn't worth pretending that they weren't together. She smiled as the kiss lasted a second longer, glad that nobody had passed them still. She stepped back and squeezed his hand before he headed in the direction of the communications suite. She wondered what he had in store, but after three weeks under comm silence any time with him was what she needed.


	10. Chapter 10

_**June 6th, 2160**_

The house had been filled with the smell of food and the laughter of the four Captains. She'd been glad to see that Jodie had finally started to lighten up, and join in with the social events of ship commanders. It didn't matter right now that they were all supposed to be doing other things, Jon had ordered that they should take a few hours break, giving them a chance to get away from the war. She looked over at Harry, still thinking about their last encounter and the things that he could do with his ship. "Harry, I was impressed by what you got out of the old girl."

"She might be old, she's not dead yet."

"It was a pretty slick maneuver." She had to give him that, his ship was older, but he got the best out of her.

"I think everyone did well on the last sets of engagements." Jon said, looking around them all. Harry and Jodie both looked pleased with themselves, while Erika just gave him a gently sarcastic look, knowing that he was trying to be inclusive.

"Only two weeks til the big one, is everything set out ready?" Harry asked, both Erika and Jon nodded after sharing a brief look. She didn't need to say anything to tell him that _Columbia_ was all ready to go, and that she had been all along.

"I think so, _Atlantis_ still needs a few tweaks. Speaking of _Atlantis_, I should probably get back to her. Captains, Commodore." Jodie stood up and started moving to the door, but Harry stood up at the same time, and she paused. Erika watched them both, hoping that she'd see them by the end of the month.

"On that note, I should probably get off too, it's late and we have a patrol starting in the morning." Harry smiled, standing up. Erika knew he needed to get back to his ship as well. There was still a lot to happen over the next few weeks.

"Bye." She held a hand and waved, smiling as both the other Captains' left.

"You're not going to leave me as well, are you?" Jon asked, muttering as he slipped back onto the sofa after shutting the door, and she was glad that they had decided to have this dinner at their home.

"I left Kalil in charge, I told him I might be here all night, that we had a lot of business to discuss." She grinned, keeping her eyes in contact with his, knowing that this was likely their last chance to be alone together for a while.

"Business, huh. That's what you're calling this?" He asked a touch sarcastically, and she noticed how much closer they'd sat together since their fellow Captains had left. She hadn't even noticed them moving but she wasn't surprised, and she wasn't unhappy that they were closer.

"You know how all this is going to go, and we're going to end up being apart again for a fairly long time." She kissed him gently, then rested her forehead against his.

"Only a few weeks at most, Rike. It's OK to be afraid." He told her, quietly. She hated that she was that transparent to him. She probably always had been, but she still hated it. Only because she hated to think that she was so predictable. But the worst thing was that he was right. But not for the reasons he thought he was. She pushed herself up, suddenly feeling the need to pace off some of her worry.

"The only thing I'm afraid of is you not making it back from this." She whispered that confession before turning to him, her worries plainly obvious now, that much she was sure of. As she looked at him she felt more confident to go on. "You're leading the charge, and I can't just charge in to the rescue." She almost shouted, she hadn't even realised herself how worked up she'd gotten herself about this mission, even though she knew this was going to be needed for Starfleet, for Earth. Hell it was needed for the entire coalition. But Jonathan was the one she was worried about, because she knew that if he needed to sacrifice himself for Earth he would.

"Hey, I'm not going to let the Romulans stop what I have planned. Look at me." She stopped long enough to meet his eyes, knowing that he wouldn't let up if she didn't. He'd probably even try and stop her. "Erika, this is just the last step. We can stop all of this, with the combination of your plan and Shran's plan, this should be it, the last stand, and then we can start thinking about the future, our future." She was happy that he was as confident in their future as he was, but she wasn't sure she felt the same. She took a deep breath and focused on his words.

"I should stop worrying, shouldn't I? What happens, happens." She continued pacing after a break, already feeling a little calmer. She knew she needed to stop, but the nervous energy she had built up wasn't really being worked off, regardless of how long she paced across the living room.

"After this long I thought I was rubbing off on you. More than 6 years, Erika. You've been back in my life more than 6 years and I hope you stay there." He looked up at her, grabbing her hand as she passed him again, pulling her to a stop in front of him. "One way or another, I will see you walking down the aisle, OK."

"You're being sappy again." She smiled, tapping his chest as she slid back onto the sofa beside him.

"It's the hormones." He said, completely deadpan.

"I thought that was supposed to be the woman's excuse." She smiled, almost certain Jon would be able to see that she was still mentally debating something.

"I modified it." He smiled then kissed her, his arms tugging her closer to him, she was happy to let him, because she needed this. It was her own fault, she was certain of that, but now the negative thoughts had started it was almost impossible to stop them.

"You know I love you right?" She mumbled into his shoulder as she rested against him. He tapped the top of her head gently, causing her to look up at him again.

"Now I know you're worried, Rike, everything will be OK. I love you too." She rested her head against his chest, and that was what she needed. He held her tighter and she felt a little safer, even though she knew what was coming, what was going to happen in a few days. All she needed was for this damn war to be over. They all did. She didn't want to have to face losing any more friends. As she listened to the slow and simple beat of Jon's heart as he held her, she focused on what she wanted, and swore to herself that she wouldn't let the Romulans tear it away.


	11. Chapter 11

**This is the last chapter in this story, so we're next onto the last story in this series. Thanks for sticking with it.**

_**June 23rd, 2160**_

The bridge was filled with a silent unease, and she knew why. They were just out of sensor range of Cheron, ensuring their arrival would be a surprise for the Romulan ships, but it also meant they didn't know what was happening. She had 20 ships, and entire battalion, waiting on her order to engage. The timing had been specific, she and the other fleet commanders had spent hours organising the staggered arrival. _Columbia_ herself was the only Starfleet ship in the final wave, it was primarily made up of Andorians and Tellarites. She was the one in charge though, and that was a burden she still wasn't used to. She was sending good thoughts Jonathan's way as she paced the bridge, her attention being called, suddenly, to the comm station. "Captain, it's time."

"OK. Polarise the hull plating, Kiona, make sure everything is ready to go, Amber, signal the fleet, Stewart, engineering is going to need her boss, Kalil, get down there and help him." She sat down in her chair, and felt the familiar combination of nerves and anxiety that signalled their arrival. They were the last wave to take to the fight, almost a full 12 hours after _Enterprise_ had taken her first battalion. As soon as she was comfortable, Amber looked over from the Communications console and gave a simple not. "Reiko, get us there."

"With pleasure, Captain."

"As soon as we're in sensor range, tell me what we can see."

"Aye sir." She sat back again, looking at the viewscreen. She tried to centre herself, knowing that in minutes she would wish for this calm again. "I've got sensor contact, but I can't really tell very much through the weapons fire and debris, sorry Captain. I'd say both fleets so far have been halved, best guess."

"That's enough Kiona. Amber, standing order to the fleet, fire when in range, and good luck." She looked around the bridge. "Remember, we win this, and we win the war. Let's get this over with and get home."

She sat back having to distance herself, mentally and emotionally, from her crew. Not because she didn't want to show them what she felt, but because there needed to distance herself from what she felt. She knew the orders she would likely give over the next few hours would haunt her for years. She heard most of the other bridge crew going through their pre-battle traditions. Everyone had them, she knew that, and it was a comfort for them all before they dropped out of warp.

"Joining the fray in 5, 4-" Erika listened to Reiko's countdown, standing up as she did, looking at the battlefield on the viewscreen. Counting how many coalition ships she could see still firing. Happy to see both _Enterprise_ and _Atlantis_ harrying the Romulans, both looking like they'd taken more than a few hits.

She turned to Kiona, the two understanding each other. "Target the least damaged ships, let's get them off their tails. Reiko, Kiona will send you co-ordinates, get us there. Amber, keep an ear out for status reports, with this much debris it might be hard."

"Aye sir."

She concentrated on what she was doing, listening to every report, feeling every hit on her ship. She ignored the pain after she was thrown to the floor, more than once. The hours passed, but nothing mattered when she was busy, and she knew what was needed. She heard the diminishing Romulan numbers, and was able to take a breath when it got down to single figures. She wiped blood and sweat from her forehead with the sleeve of her uniform, sitting in her chair again as a sudden quiet claimed the ship, no more ringing noises of weapons against the hull, she looked over to Kiona for an explanation.

"We did it. Enterprise just destroyed their last ship." Kiona slapped the side of her console in a clearly excited reaction, not that Erika wasn't happy about that, she was just wary. Hoping that there wasn't another hiding in the debris, especially as at last count there had been two Romulan ships darting about the remains of the coalition fleet.

"I thought there were two?" She asked, leaning across the top of the tactical console and closing her eyes, hoping that would stop the bridge from spinning for a few minutes, long enough for her to concentrate on something else.

"We got a hit on the other one a few minutes ago. They warped out."

"OK, let's assess, damage reports." She stood up again, the room spinning only slightly now, small enough for her to ignore if she kept her hand on something.

Kiona checked her console, and Erika waited for the response, almost certain that the damage taken wasn't exactly what she'd wanted or expected. Hopefully, for once, luck had fallen their way and the damage wouldn't be as bad as she thought. "The starboard nacelle is fried, no estimates on that yet Stewart needs to purge it. There are hull breaches on D and E decks, damage to launch bay one. Not to mention the feedback in the EPS system."

She nodded, it wasn't better, but at least it wasn't worse. "Right. Get on with Stewart and Kalil to set up damage control teams and seal those breaches." Kiona dodged out of the way of the staff coming onto the bridge as she went belowdecks to deliver the orders, Erika was about to order a call be put through to _Enterprise_ when Amber turned to her.

"Captain, priority call from Commodore Archer."

"Put him up, Amber." She smiled, standing in the middle of the bridge as Jon's came to mirror hers. _Enterprise_ looked far more damaged than _Columbia_. In fact, it looked like she was barely holding it together. But Jon himself looked alright, despite holding his arm at an odd angle, and the bruise coming up on his cheek.

"Nice timing _Columbia_." He smiled, and she couldn't help but grin back, remembering the conversations they'd had over the years about timing. Almost certain that was what he was getting at. She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head lightly.

"Told you I'd make it in time, how are things over there?"

"Still assessing, we've got some pretty major damage, I think everyone has." He nodded, and then seemed to study her with the same intensity that she had studied him with at the beginning of the call. "I was hoping we could borrow the ear of your comm officer." He asked a second later, clearly choosing not to comment on her appearance, though she was sure he'd say something the next time they got a few moments together.

"Amber is all yours." She stepped over to her with a nod, then lowered her voice to speak to her own officer. Knowing that, sometimes, they needed that friendly order. "Liaise with Enterprise. Figure out who needs the most help."

"You couldn't also lend your shuttlepods to the rescue efforts?" Jon asked, clearly still listening to what she was saying, Kiona's relief at the tactical station just shook his head when she looked toward him, and she knew what that meant. The damage was too extensive to launch the shuttles.

"Sorry Jon, we took damage to the launch bay. As soon as that's repaired they can join the search. How many do you think?"

"A third." He looked to the floor and she was sure his estimates weren't an overstatement. Judging by the amount of debris around them, it was probably an understatement. As that settled over her there was only really one word she could think of.

"Shit."

"At least we won." He said, looking up and meeting her eyes through the screen again.

"Did we?" She had to ask, this didn't feel like a win.

"That's a debate for another day. You should get your forehead seen too." He pointed with his good arm, before going back to cradling the one that was clearly quite painful, judging from the grimace.

"I will when I'm not so busy, same for you and the shoulder. See you at the debrief?"

"I'll contact you when it's time." He smiled at her again, and she knew he was trying to subliminally tell her that he was OK, despite the way he was holding his arm. She nodded at him, trying to send the same message back. Now was the time for worrying about their crews and the rest of the fleet, not one another. The battle was over, but only the coming months would tell them if they'd won the war.


End file.
